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By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The Eurobasket is less than a week away and here are the stars of the show. Eurohoops picked the elite of the elite, just 20 of the players who are not only the leaders of their teams, but also in some cases already legends in the history of world basketball.
It wasn’t an easy choice and many big names were not included. It’s a pre-olympic year and that’s one of the biggest motives for any player to dress up for his national team and try to get not only a Eurobasket medal, but also the right to participate in the Olympics. We expect one of the best tournaments in recent years and those distinguished gentlemen are a big reason for that.
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[lptitle title=”20. Bogdan Bogdanovic“]
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He’s coming from a very good World Cup with Serbia and a first season with great demands in Fenerbahce . He’s an excellent three-point shooter and this remains his biggest weapon. Now, then, the demands made of him are bigger than ever but he’s more prepared to deliver.
In a EuroBasket that has great quality, Bogdanovic must emerge as one of the main go-to guys alongside the leader Teodosic, since he’s the one who is expected to be Milos’s future successor in Serbia’s backcourt. Meanwhile the Suns who drafted him are going to be looking….
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[lptitle title=”19. Dario Saric“]
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Croatia’s “boy-wonder” has grown up and was selected in the draft by the Sixers. At the level of the Euroleague for the first time in his career he struggled, but his future is clearly bright and his improvement is obvious. In Anadolu Efes he couldn’t produce the numbers and the presence he had with Cibona, but the fact that he found himself in a unit with a lot more talent than he was used to his teammates having in the past, definitely helped him.
In the national team of Croatia his presence is crucial for the success of the whole, something that was apparent from his presence in FIBA’s World Cup last year. A year later, more mature and more prepared, he will be called to do a lot of things in a role similar to the one that the next guy on the list has in the Serbian national team…
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[lptitle title=”18. Nemanja Bjelica“]
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The “professor” is getting ready to make the next step in his career, having left Fenerbahce for Minnesota. With the Euroleague’s MVP award as his badge from the season that ended, Bjelica is the kind of player that is absolutely pivotal in the teams he plays for.
He’s the man who does everything when needed since he can score, pass, play defense and get rebounds. His role was decisive in Serbia’s success last year in FIBA’s World Cup and he’ll have to be as good for coach Sasa Djordjevic’s “Eagles” to repeat a similar feat. The good thing about Bjelica is that, because of his skills, he always finds a way to be useful.
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[lptitle title=”17. Zaza Pachulia“]
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Pachulia is an established player in the NBA, one of the best European centers of his generation and he’s always available when he gets the call from his national team. Georgia, however, until recently did not have the equivalent talent in order to make him more effective. This time things are different. Georgia now has the most comprehensive roster they’ve ever had and although even the qualification to the second phase is not guaranteed, given the quality of the other teams in the third group, the odds are not bad.
In this, Pachulia will play a huge role. The new Dallas center has, at 31, to have the best tournament of his career in order for his team to surpass themselves. So, don’t underestimate Georgia or him.
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[lptitle title=”16. Ersan Ilyasova“]
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Turkey is in a transitional period and the 28-year-old star of the team is the only unchanging factor. A member of the 2010 team that won the bronze medal at home for Turkey in the Mundobasket, Ilyasova has the experience and the talent to become the leader of a youthful ensemble that is essentially being built from scratch.
Turkey has some “golden” generations of teenagers and young men coming up in the near future, but for the time being Ilyasova is the surest bet in coach Ataman’s disposal. It’s a fact that he is going to contribute a lot but how much he’ll offer on the court will, after all, depend on whether the young guys will follow suit.
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[lptitle title=”15. Giannis Antetokounmpo“]
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He has managed in no time to launch himself onto the basketball scene and it’s a fact that in his second tournament with the Greek national team he is going to be one of the tournament’s main attractions. There isn’t a younger player higher on the list than him and the reason for that is quite simple.
Even though he’s still at the start of his career, Giannis has managed to steal the show and the potential he seems to have is beyond anyone’s imagination. Don’t expect to see Antetokounmpo being a scorer in this tournament, though, since space will be limited and the open court won’t be as easy to be found. His defensive presence and his long arms can make the difference in the style of basketball that has traditionally helped Greece go a long way in these tournaments.
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